


A Lover's Playlist

by imnotmadeofeyes



Category: All Time Low, Bandom
Genre: Falling In Love, Fluff, High School AU, I suck at tagging, Jack pov, M/M, Neighbors, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, alex is his neighbor, and i suck at summaries, jack is new to the neighborhood, just read it, oh also there's a blowjob situation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-08
Updated: 2014-04-08
Packaged: 2018-01-18 16:05:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1434466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imnotmadeofeyes/pseuds/imnotmadeofeyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack moves to a new place with his parents and Alex is the talented boy next door whose room's window is right across from Jack's room's window. After their first meeting they don't even try to get away from one another anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Lover's Playlist

**Author's Note:**

> OK so I don't know where this idea comes from - probably from reading too much Jalex these past weeks and watching to many live acoustic videos of ATL. Just know that there are all these feelings inside of me and this is my way to let it out. If you find errors, please tell me so I can correct them: I haven't beta'd this.  
> Oh yeah I also don't own any of the characters AND I'm sorry that this is kinda ooc.

Jack didn’t want to move. They didn’t even leave Baltimore, but because of his dad’s job they moved into a house on the other side of town. That meant he would have to go to a new school, and he wouldn’t be seeing his friends anymore even though they’d spent basically every day together ever since kindergarten. Jack didn’t have a problem with meeting new people; he was pretty confident and outgoing. But usually, new people had some problems meeting him: he was different. He only ever wore tight black jeans, bandshirts and hoodies, sometimes a button-down, and he had a thick blonde streak dyed in his longish black hair which he always styled so it stood up in all directions. Many people had a problem with how he dressed, judged him for what he wore. So he wasn’t sure if it was that good an idea to change schools a year before he would graduate.

The only advantage was the house. They were living in a calm neighborhood with pretty houses and pretty gardens, where children were playing on the streets after school and everybody was nice to everyone. And one of these houses was theirs now. Before, the Barakats had lived in a flat – not too small, but not as big either. Now he would have a big room and his own bathroom under the roof away from everyone and he could finally play his guitar and his music as loud as he wanted to without his parents shouting he should turn it down again. That was about the best part.

Jack liked his new room, too. He had persuaded his mates Vic and Mike, Mexican brothers, to work some of their graffiti for him, and now two of his walls were covered in street art of every color. The boys were damn talented when it came to spraying, and it looked hell of a lot awesome. But when he finally started unpacking that afternoon, the whole room still stunk of spray paint. He threw open the window before turning on his laptop and turning on blink-128 – louder than he would’ve been able to at home.

He didn’t notice that from his window, he could look straight into the house next to theirs, where the window was open, too. He only started unpacking his clothes, stuffing them into his closet (it wasn’t like it would stay clean anyways, so he didn’t even try), followed by the collection of books and dvds – for which he finally had enough space in his own room. While he was at it, his mind started wandering, here and there. He wondered if he would be able to see Vic and the boys at least on the weekends, and if he would find new friends quickly at the new high school. He wondered what the people would be like, if they were as cool and accepting as his old school.

The boy was so caught up in unpacking and his own mind that he didn’t notice his music had stopped until suddenly his ears registered the tune of an acoustic guitar and a voice that he had never heard before. He stopped halfway perched down to take a new pack of cds out of a box, turned his head to the window to listen better. The voice was mostly soft, with a slight rough edge, clear and low, and just generally the most beautiful singing voice he’d ever heard – and Jack knew a lot of music.

 

_I painted a picture of the things I wanted most_

_To color in the darker side of all my brightest hopes_

_But there’s a monster standing where you should be_

_So I paint you wings, and I set you free_

 

Jack listened, amazed by what he was hearing. He didn’t know the song and instantly wanted to know whether the singer had written it himself. He straightened his back and padded over to the window, and there he was. The boy couldn’t be older than Jack was, slim but not as lanky as Jack himself, with messy light brown hair. He was perched on the windowsill – they both had that kind of oversized windowsill that you could sit down and chill on because it was comfy as fuck – a black guitar in his hands. Tanned fingers strummed gently, yet skilled, nimble and quickly. Jack couldn’t help but stare. The boy seemed to be completely caught up in his music, not noticing anything. His eyes were closed, and Jack wanted to see them open, wanted to know which color they were. He sat down, watched, listened.

That one song eventually changed into another one, and he even knew that one. It was definitely a Blink song, and it only took him a few seconds to recognize it as All The Small Things – classy. The voice of the boy gave the song a new tune now though, and Jack liked it. Damn, he was probably head over heels in that moment already. Halfway through the song, the boy’s eyes opened, landing directly on him. A little smile tugged on the mouth of the boy, and his eyes were bright and brown and beautiful like the rest of his face. He looked like he had known the whole time that Jack was watching him. Maybe, so Jack wondered, maybe he did.

 

_Turn the lights of, carry me home_

_Keep your head still, I’ll be your thrill_

_The night will go on, my little windmill_

 

When the song ended, the boys kept looking, and Jack couldn’t look away even if he wanted to. He probably looked really dumb just standing there in front of his window and staring, but he couldn’t help it. The boy was awesome. He really was. It took him a few seconds, but finally he found his voice again. “You’re kind of really fucking awesome, did you know that?”

The other boy chuckled. “Thanks. I heard you listening to Blink earlier. You’re a fan?” he asked. His voice was just as soft and clear and perfect when he wasn’t singing.

That was when Jack sat down on the windowsill – the unpacking could wait, he had a friend to make. “You could say so” He had like five different shirts, all their albums and about a thousand posters of them. He grinned.

“That’s cool, dude.” The boy said. “I saw you moving in here today – where are you from?”

“Baltimore” Jack answered, and laughed at the confused face the boy pulled. “We’re from the other end of town, lived closer to downtown. But dad found a new job and so we’re here now.”

“Ah, ok. Do you like it here?”

“As far as I can tell, it’s ok. There are some really cool and talented neighbors.” Jack smirked, winked. He was always straightforward bordering on blunt. The other boy didn’t seem to have problem with that, only laughed.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that. I’m Alex, by the way.” The boy said. Alex said. The name fitted him well, Jack decided.

“Jack” He introduced himself. “Do you always play Blink for strangers?”

“Only for the pretty ones” Alex laughed. “Nah, just kidding. That old woman used to live there, she was deaf as a fish, and there weren’t any new neighbors except for your family, like, ever.”

Jack grinned, tucked his foot under himself. “Good to know I’m special. Wouldn’t want you to cheat on me.”

“You always joke like this with strangers?” Alex wanted to know.

Jack grinned. “Only for the pretty ones.” He answered, just in the same manner like Alex had only seconds before. He winked at the boy, and they both laughed together. It already felt like he’d known Alex for a lifetime, even though they had barely just met. He already felt comfortable around him.

“Which school will you go to?” Alex wanted to know when they stopped giggling.

Jack shrugged. “Can’t remember the name. If you give me a sec, I can just look through my stuff and look it up?” he suggested.

“Yeah, cool.” Alex nodded, and his fingers started strumming some mindless rhythm as soon as the talk was over. Jack had to smile at that while he rummaged through the box labelled school stuff. “Eh – I think it’s Dulaney High?”

“Hey, that’s my school, how awesome is that?!” Alex grinned brightly.

“Hella” Jack laughed. It was – now he hopefully wouldn’t be alone on his first day tomorrow.

They grinned at each other. “Do you need a ride tomorrow? I can take you if you want to.” Alex offered.

Jack nodded. “That would be hella awesome, too. Being alone on the first day sucks.”

“It does” Alex agreed easily. “But don’t worry, I’ll take care of you” Now it was Alex’ turn to wink at Jack, and Jack couldn’t keep down the slight blush from his cheeks.

“Now I feel reassured” He half-joked.

Alex chuckled, and they fell silent again. The only sounds from them were Alex’ fingers gliding over the strings. “You can play more, you know” Jack said after a while. “I need to continue unpacking because mum will kill me otherwise, but …”

“We wouldn’t wanna risk that” Alex teased. And then he continued playing, settling into a rhythm that he seemed to be familiar with, but Jack didn’t recognize it. Jack turned and went back to unpacking while soft guitar notes and an even softer voice flowed around him.

 

_Make a wish on our sorry little hearts,_

_have a smoke, pour a drink, steal a kiss in the dark,_

_fingernails on my skin like the teeth of a shark,_

_I'm intoxicated by the lie_

Jack lost count of the songs and the time after that. He unpacked, listening to Alex strum and sing on his guitar, sometimes commenting on it or asking a question. He found out that Alex liked to listen to punk, pop punk and punk rock, sometimes even metal core or stuff, but not as much, and he found out that Alex wrote songs himself, such as the very first song Jack heard of him. He also found out that he was seventeen, turning eighteen soon, and had two best friends, Rian and Zack that he knew since he moved to Baltimore over ten years ago.

It was like hanging out, even though they weren’t even in the same room. But Jack liked Alex, liked the way he smiled easily and liked to joke around, and he liked even more how great he was with his guitar and how his voice always sounded so pure and clean, barely ever missing a note.

The most surprising thing was that it only felt natural. Even when they didn’t know what to say, it never felt awkward. Jack liked people that he instantly relaxed around, that made him feel ok. Alex was the best example for that, and even though he had never met someone like Alex, he couldn’t help but like him. He just hoped that it would stay that way.

Eventually, Alex stopped strumming in the middle of a Green Day song. He leaned into his room, listened to some shout that Jack couldn’t understand, and then shouted back, “I’ll be down in a sec!” Then he turned to smile at Jack. “I gotta go, mum has dinner ready. Tomorrow around quarter to eight? Then we’ll have enough time to pick up your stuff before class.”

“That would be awesome. Really, thank you loads.” Jack grinned. “I’ll see you tomorrow then”

Alex grinned and stood up, stretching, popping his back. “I’ll count on that” With one last wink, he closed the window. Jack stood in his, smiling stupidly, for a while longer, before catching on what he was doing. Then he closed the window as well, the smell now gone, and turned on Blink again. This time when All The Small Things came up, he couldn’t stop comparing Alex’ version to it, and he couldn’t help thinking that Alex’ version was just a tiny bit better. That was about the biggest compliment he could give to anyone. Blink were usually too awesome for anyone to cover right, but still Jack thought Alex was better than them. It was basically a love statement already.

 

The next morning, Jack of course overslept until his mum banged onto his door ten times. “JACK BASSAM BARAKAT, MOVE YOUR SORRY ASS OUT OF BED AND GET UP!” she screamed, startling the boy awake.

“YES OH MY GOD MUM I’M AWAKE!” He shouted right back, and wanted to fall back down on the mattress when his gaze met the clock. “Fucking _shit_!” he cursed – he only had twenty-odd minutes until he and Alex would meet up. He literally flailed out of his bed and managed to land face-first on the floor – he’s classy like that, ok? He rummaged through his closet, finally settling on bright green boxers, black jeans and a black blink shirt with green print. He was just so glad for his own bathroom that he didn’t have to share with either of his siblings when he ran into the bathroom, clad only in boxer briefs from the night before, quickly jumping into the shower. He needed to fucking hurry.

Sometimes Jack wondered how he managed to get ready in that short a time – it was almost routine for him to oversleep every alarm he’d set himself until his mum kicked his ass – and not look like a complete dork. Somehow he managed to spike his hair up just in the right way and get dressed and even put some deodorant and cologne on before jumping down the stairs, only narrowly avoiding falling onto his face again.

“You’re late” His mum said matter-of-factly, when he slid into the kitchen in his worn-out Converse to pick up some lunch. She was right – if he would be walking, he would be late. Now he still had a minute before he was supposed to meet Alex outside.

“Nope, Alex is taking me – by the way, he’s the neighbor’s son, we’ll go in the same grade.” He told her, grabbing an apple and biting into it heartily.

His mum shook her head. “When did you meet him?” she wanted to know, handing him his lunch bag and a bottle of coke which he quickly shoved into his backpack.

“Oh last night, his room is across from mine. Never mind mum, gotta go. Love you!” Jack quickly gave her a kiss on the cheek before sprinting out of the room. He was out of breath when he stopped in front of the driveway of his neighbors and of course he only noticed Alex leaning on the old VW when the other boy started laughing at him.

“Overslept, huh?” He mocked Jack, and a look at him was enough for Jack to know that the other boy had heard the shouting of his mum earlier.

Jack nodded, took another bite from his apple. “I was too busy dreaming about dicks for getting up” he shot right back, between two bites. A smirk tugged on his lips when Alex laughed. He was even prettier from close up – his hair was styled even messier today, but also with more purpose, he was wearing ripped light blue jeans that would surely hug his ass damn nicely and a white V-neck with a blink print. It made Jack want to smile. Of course they would wear the same merch on the first day of school.

“So you’re not nervous about the first day?” Alex wanted to know and gestured for Jack to get in as well. Jack followed his instructions willingly. The car was oldish and very German, but he liked it. It was a lot like Alex, he thought.

“Not really – now that I know I won’t have to face the insanity alone, it’s ok.” He admitted.

Alex shot him a grin, fastened his seatbelt and started the engine. “Don’t worry; we’ll protect you from all the newbie-awkwardness” he promised him, and then went on about the high school. The teachers were ok, all their school teams sucked so bad that they didn’t even have cheerleaders, but nobody really cared anyways. The folks were pretty ok as well, if you followed his descriptions. There were many different crowds, but mostly they didn’t pick on anyone.

“This sounds awesome” Jack finally said, because honestly, it did. His old school had been ok too, but there was a lot of bullying going on, especially from the jocks to the nerds. Thankfully, Jack had been in the punk crowd and nobody tried to mess with them. Especially not because of the Fuentes brothers and their mates Jaime and Tony who were tattooed and pierced and just generally superior – and some of Jack’s closest friends as well.

Alex shrugged. “It’s good, yeah. Sometimes almost boring, but I prefer boring over terrifying.” He said, fiddling with the radio until some station with rock music started playing.

“So, on a scale of one to ten – how popular are you guys?” Jack wanted to know.

Alex shrugged. “A six, maybe? We get invited to parties and stuff, but we aren’t really in that much of a popular crowd.”

Jack laughed. “I bet you just get invited because of your pretty face.”

“Rian always says that as well, but I swear it’s because of Zack’s curls! Wait till you see him and you’ll understand.” Alex finally pulled onto the school’s car park, finding a spot and turning it off. They get out, and Alex’ eyes skit over the place. There were already people all around, and Jack understood now what Alex meant yesterday when he’d mentioned the school was ‘big’. It was fucking huge and he already felt lost. He wouldn’t know in which building to start looking for an office or something.

“The boys should be around here some-“

“GASKARTH!” A small, slightly chubby boy appeared from nowhere and flung his arms around Alex’ neck even though he was about five inches smaller. “There you are! We already thought you’d have abandoned us!”

Alex laughed, returning the hug of who must be one of his mates – Jack thought it must be Rian since Zack was supposed to have curls – and meeting Jack’s eyes over the shoulder of the other boy. “I wouldn’t!” he said. When they let go of each other, there was another boy there. Jack had always thought he was tall, but the lanky kid was another couple inches taller than him. He also had a wild mop of brown curls on top of his head and a shy smile on his lips.

“Guys that’s Jack, my new neighbor. Jack, these are Rian and Zack” Alex introduced them.

“Nice meeting you, man” Rian offered his hand to Jack, and he shook it gladly, offering his own smile. Zack only waved at him awkwardly, muttering out a “Hi”. So these were Alex’ best friends? He looked from one to another, and while he first thought that they couldn’t be more different, he thought they were making good matches. They looked like they were brothers from other mothers, really.

“So you’re new? You don’t look like you just moved here, really.” Rian said.

“I’ve lived in Baltimore before, just in another part of town” Jack answered, shrugging.

Rian nodded in understanding, and the group of them turned away from the car, following Alex’ lead to one of the many too similar looking buildings. “That’s cool man, Baltimore five ever. Are you ready for your first day of school?”

Jack shook his head, and it cracked all the boys up.

“Well, then let’s get started!” And Jack entered his new school with Alex’ hand on the small of his back, just slightly pressing in, leading him into a new life.

 

Jack had English first period with Alex and Zack, then History with Rian, lunch break with Alex, PE with Zack and Rian, Spanish with Alex and Rian and finally Biology with Zack. He was so damn glad that he wouldn’t have to sit alone in any class. Of course, then he would be meeting more new people, but right now he was already overwhelmed with the loud Rian and the shy Zack, he didn’t need anyone else to be around, not on his first day. They also found out that their lockers were right beside each other’s and Alex and Rian whooped and high-fived at finding this out. Last year they had to walk around half the campus to get from one locker to the other, Zack explained quietly. It had sucked.

Jack liked his new mates. He really did. And he liked his school. Luckily enough, the lessons weren’t all too boring when he could whisper and joke with them; get to know Rian and Zack a little better. And in Biology Zack introduced Jack to his previous lab partner who was a pretty blonde girl named Jenna with a big smile and an even bigger mouth. He instantly liked her, she was loud and weird and just generally like him. Her gaydar was also really awesome because she instantly figured out she had no chance with him. People around here were really nice.

But the best of them was definitely Alex, without doubt. Jack liked him most, and not just because he was the most beautiful creature to ever walk on earth, but also because he was smart and witty and confident and just generally combined everything Jack liked in persons. And his voice, his goddamn voice. Jack could listen to him all day without break and still not be bored by him. His stories were the best and his songs were so great he could just – just ugh.

Still after school, Jack was overwhelmed. He felt so tired he could just faceplant onto his mattress and pass out for the next twenty-something hours, but on the other hand he was pumped up with energy. His legs were bouncing wildly when he slid into the front seat besides Alex. Alex watched him, first out of the corner of his eyes, and then openly with a smile on your face.

“How the fuck can you look so tired and still not sit still?” he wanted to know.

Jack scoffed. “Fuck off, tosser” he grumbled, but there was no heat behind his words. He was pretty sure he could never do or say anything to hurt Alex. He was pretty pathetic, huh? He only knew that boy for a day and already started developing a crush on him. A huge one, too. It shouldn’t be a surprise. It was no secret that he was anything but straight, and Alex was totally his type. But after one day, really?

“More like fuck you, asshole” Alex chuckled and pulled out of his slot and into the traffic. “Hey, wanna hang out tonight?”

“You mean like sitting in our windows and talking again or actually chilling in the same room?” Jack asked, grin tugging on his features.

Alex laughed, throwing his head back just a bit, and Jack was mesmerized. “I thought about chilling in the same room here properly, jerk”

“Oh you just wanna get me alone so you can see me naked, admit it, Gaskarth” Jack teased him. They were at that stage already, and it should be weird, but it really wasn’t.

“Of course” Alex nudged him with his elbow. “Wouldn’t wanna miss out on this”

And they laughed together like old friends. There was no ‘no homo’ or anything because they didn’t need it. That was what they were, just like that. Jack liked feeling like this, like he didn’t have to hide pieces of himself from the other boy. He didn’t like pretending, didn’t like it at all.

“So what, you’re gonna come over now or not?” Alex finally asked. They were almost home.

Jack nodded. “Just let me tell my mum and put my backpack down, alright? I’ll be right over.” He said.

Alex smiled. “Yeah, that sounds good. We can play some Fifa if you like”

“Really, you’re a soccer dude?” Jack asked. “I’m offended. Baseball all the way man”

Alex gasped. “I am offended! That is soooo uncool, really, soccer is the best! But yeah whatever, I can also beat your ass at GTA if you want to!”

That made Jack laugh. “You would never, I’m a GTA god!”

Apparently, Jack wasn’t. He went home to tell his mum and then went over to Alex’ house, up into his room and the two boys sat down on the couch and played playstation all afternoon. Well, about an hour before Jack chucked the controller at Alex’ head. He was really good at GTA, it was no question. He used to always beat Vic’s and Tony’s asses. But hell, Alex was a lot better.

“That’s unfair, you must be cheating! I was so winning this game and now I’m not and that’s impossible!” he complained.

Alex only laughed at him.

Jack pouted and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I hate you” he declared. He didn’t, really not, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try.

Alex crawled closer and finally poked Jack in the stomach. “No you don’t. Come on Jacky, don’t be an ass now” he told him. Jack didn’t move, and so Alex poked him again. And again. Problem: Jack was ticklish. And so he swatted his mate’s fingers away.

“Stop that!”

“Aw, are you ticklish?!” Alex exclaimed, laughing. He didn’t try and do more though, just leant back out of Jack’s comfort zone – not that he minded having the other boy in there. “What do you say, should I get the guitar?”

Jack couldn’t help but grin at that – of course he couldn’t stay mad at Alex in the prospect of him singing. Alex chuckled and ruffled Jack’s hair mindlessly when he got up to get the instrument from the corner of his room.

“Oi keep your fingers away from my very fabulous hair, fucker!” Jack exclaimed. Alex only laughed again. It should be maddening how often Alex laughed at him, but Jack couldn’t find himself minding all that much. Alex had a good laugh. He liked making him laugh.

Alex came back with the guitar, cradling in his arms gently. Seeing the way Alex’ fingers worked the strings when he strummed a few chords, Jack wondered what it would be like to be in Alex’ arms instead of the guitar. “Any requests?” the brown-haired boy asked.

Jack shook his head and leaned back against the soft sofa cushions. “Just anything, really. I don’t care” he answered quietly. Alex nodded and bit his lip, and after a second, the plucking scheme changed to something soft, something that Jack recognized right away, long before Alex’ voice joined the sounds of his guitar.

 

_Summer has gone and passed_

_The innocent can never last_

_Wake me up when September ends_

 

And just, wow. Alex’ voice was awesome at quick, perky songs, but now that Jack heard him doing something slow and careful, somehow heavy, it was only getting better and better. He was sure now: if he could choose, he would never stop listening to Alex making music. He couldn’t stop watching, couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. That was the side of Alex that he’d first met, and that was the side of him he liked most.

Halfway through the song, Alex looked up and met Jack’s gaze. He smiled slightly and kept his eyes on him the whole time. Jack didn’t dare move, didn’t dare look away. That was magic happening. Whatever it was, this was true magic.

“You’re really a damn good musician, Lex” Jack complimented him then.

Alex blushed, only slightly. It was cute. “Thank you” he murmured. They were silent for a second, and it almost felt awkward, but mostly it was just filled with stuff they weren’t saying, couldn’t really put a name on right now. And then, “Do you play any instrument?”

Jack nodded. “I can play a guitar, but I’m afraid I won’t hit a note if I ever tried singing”

Alex chuckled. “Well then, why don’t you play and I sing?” he suggested, offering Jack the guitar. Jack nodded, taking the offered instrument from the other boy. It felt pretty similar to his own, only that his was a dark red color and still had nylon strings, not western strings like this baby. He tried them out for a second, got comfortable with them. Maybe he should get this kind of strings for his guitar, too, they sounded good.

Finally, Jack cleared his throat and looked up from where he’d been watching his fingers and the guitar. Alex’ eyes were already on him. “So – how about I play something, and when you recognize it, you jump in?”

“Yeah cool” Alex smiled, and Jack started. He knew what he wanted Alex to sing – he actually had the idea in the back of his head ever since he first heard Alex singing – and he was like a hundred percent sure that Alex would recognize the song. And he was right. It didn’t take long for the singer to tune in and start softly singing along with Jack’s strumming, and it was just as good as Jack had imagined it to be.

 

_Hello there, the angel from my nightmare_

_The shadow in the background of the morgue_

_The unsuspecting victim of darkness in the valley_

_We can live like Jack and Sally if we want_

 

 

So that was how the friendship of Jack Barakat and Alex Gaskarth was formed. That day was the best example for how their usual day would look like: in the morning, Alex would drive them both to school, they would spend every free minute in school together and in the afternoon, they would hang out in either of their rooms, playing video games and making music, sometimes even working on school stuff if it was important. It only took them about half a month before everyone, even their parents, had labelled them inseparable. And maybe that was what they were.

Jack had never met someone like Alex. It wasn’t love at first sight, not really. But it also really kind of was. They had just clicked, like they had waited all their lived to meet and now that they had, there was no reason to wait any longer for them to happen. Jack trusted Alex with all he had. He felt like he could tell the other boy everything, and he did. They often talked about the past, but even more often about the future. What where they going to do with their lives? There were so many questions that needed to be asked, so many decisions to be made, but they both weren’t sure, didn’t want to think about this.

Jack had never felt as alive as he had with Alex. Of course, he loved the friends from his old school, but like he said, there had never been someone like Alex. Alex understood him without words, he took up with all his crazy antics, he laughed at all his jokes – even the ones that Jack had to admit were really bad – and he never failed to read Jack like an open book. They had become best friends without even trying all that hard, and it was an awesome feeling. Jack couldn’t live without Alex anymore, he was pretty sure.

But while they were best friends, there was something more to it as well, Jack could feel it. They had no concept of personal space. Often they would end up cuddling when they were watching movies, legs entangled and fingers playing with each other’s hair, and whenever they sat side by side, they would sit as close as possible. They always seemed to radiate close to each other like some kind of magnets, sharing many lingering and seemingly unnecessary touches. They would flirt all the time and get jealous when someone else did the same to the other. They were best friends, but they were more. They only had to make eye contact to know that they were thinking the same and they were ending each other’s sentences, for god’s sake.

So it really wasn’t surprising for Jack when he laid in his bed one night, his body still wide awake from spending all day with Alex, having the time of their lives, and he was suddenly overwhelmed by the realization that he was in love with the slightly older boy. He just stared at his ceiling and a huge goofy grin that Rian had already labelled his ‘Gaskarth-grin’ split his face. He was head over heels for Alex with his stupid messy hair and soft skin and bright eyes and beautiful voice, and he didn’t regret a thing.

But still Jack didn’t make a move on his best friends. He was pretty sure that Alex felt the same for him, judging by all the gestures he was sharing with Jack but not with anybody else, but he didn’t do anything. He just reveled in the feeling and let himself be swept away. He was more than content with how it was, so why should he rush things? They had all their lives in front of them, and he would surely not hurry to get Alex when he knew that.

That was until that one night. Jack was staying at Alex’ because his parents were out of town. Since they had all weekend to themselves, they decided to pull a The Walking Dead marathon and eat lots of unhealthy things without any parents in their backs. So far it was ten pm that Friday afternoon and they hadn’t even watched one episode. They had just lazed in the sun all afternoon and now that it was starting to get chilly they settled in Alex’ bedroom. Like so many times they both had their guitars in their laps, sitting across from each other on Alex’ bed.

“So, I kind of wrote a song” Alex admitted.

“Well no shit, you wrote a song?” Jack exclaimed. “I didn’t think that was possible!”

“Shut up asshole” Alex glared. There was some uncertainty in his eyes, and Jack wasn’t sure what he should do with that. “I kinda – I wrote it for you, ok? I wanna know what you think about it.”

Jack smiled and his heart started speeding up. Alex really wrote a song for him. “Ok, let it out. I’m sure it’s gonna be awesome”

Alex smiled briefly, nervously, and then his fingers started working, and he started singing.

 

_Mayday situation overload_

_I'm restless, obsessed with your future_

_And all my worries they don't bother you_

_Collected, you render me useless_

_But I carry on_

 

Jack listened carefully. He could hear their story in that song, didn’t even have to try all that much. He watched Alex closely: his eyes wandered over the soft planes of his face, his long lashes and the way he hadn’t styled his hair after his shower earlier that afternoon so now it was falling into his face without any purpose. Alex was the most perfect creature on earth to Jack.

 

_Right now, I think that you think that I'm half drunk_

_Searching for something of substance,_

_Casually dropping a line_

_Designed to keep you next to me_

_I can't awkwardly craft in advance_

_I know, that you wouldn't fall for that_

_You say "Shut up and take my hand"_

_And we carry on_

And he could remember that time, the time he said that. They were at a party – well a sleepover from Jaime – and they made a horror marathon. All the people there – friends from Vic’s old school mostly, but also Alex, Rian, Zack, Jenna and some others Jack had befriended in the last weeks – were kind of drunk already and it was the middle of the night. There were watching some horror movie that Jack had seen a million times, but Alex saw it for the first time. He wasn’t taking it all that well and had constantly hidden in Jack’s shoulder, complaining he was scared. Finally, Jack had just said “Shut up and take my hand”, and then it had been better.

 

_I don't wanna say goodnight_

_The city comes alive, when we're together_

_Why can't Thursday last forever_

_I don't wanna say goodnight_

_I've never been so sure_

_Just do it for the memory_

_Do it for Baltimore_

_And do it for me_

 

Jack agreed with everything Alex sung. That was them, that was more them than Jack had thought Alex could ever put into a song. He never wanted to say goodnight to Alex, and he always was the happiest with the other boy around. Alex was the best thing that Jack had found in Baltimore, and he was so thankful that he had gotten the chance to befriend the boy. He could feel himself getting all sentimental, and there had never been a moment in their relationship that Jack had wanted to kiss Alex more than right then and there. He kept watching. Alex had his eyes closed, and he was completely concentrated on the music. Whenever he was drowning in the tune and forgot everything else, Jack thought he was the most beautiful.

 

_Hot damn, look at me now_

_I'm all caught up riding the high of my good luck,_

_Casually dropping a line_

_Designed to keep you next to me_

_I bet you never thought you would fall, again_

_So much for keeping this, just friends_

_Shut up and kiss me now_

_And we carry on_

The song ended differently, with a repetition of the intro and the chorus, but Jack was caught up at the second verse of the song. This was all he had ever needed to hear. A grin slowly spread over his features. That was it. Alex liked him, too. Jack had never doubted it, but now he was so certain. He impatiently waited for Alex to end the song, to resurface from the music. As soon as the other boy’s eyes opened, Jack was up in his face, his fingers gently cradling the other’s head.

“Thank you” he whispered and finally pressed their lips together. It was just a small gesture, dry and chapped lips crashing onto each other – they didn’t even move them the first time. But it set Jack’s complete world on fire. This was Alex, this was his closest friend, the boy he was in love with. His thumbs caressed the soft curve of Alex’ cheekbones and his heart threatened to jump right out of his ribcage. Alex somehow shoved the guitar away, putting it on the floor or generally just anywhere and pulled Jack closer. The older boy’s fingers dug into Jack’s waist and he scooted closer, his fingers slipping into the soft hair framing that beautiful face.

They started kissing for real now, lips meeting again and again, moving softly against each other. Jack forgot about everything but that perfect boy there in his arms and the way they felt together. His fingers closed around the strands of hair they’d been slipping through, tugging gently to get a better angle, and Alex let out a choked gasp which Jack instantly used to let his tongue slip into the other boy’s mouth. Just a short lick, teasing, and it brought a smile to his face. Alex answered with a lick of his own, and soon enough their tongues tangled, exploring each other’s mouths.

Jack couldn’t get enough off it. His fingers were moving now, down Alex’ throat, over his broad shoulders and down his sides to his back. He couldn’t get enough of Alex, needed him closer. He probably wouldn’t think they were close enough if he would crawl inside of the boy to build a home in his chest. A whiny little sound escaped Jack’s throat without him agreeing on that when he didn’t manage to right away pull up Alex’ shirt to reveal the soft skin of his back.

Alex laughed a bit, and they pulled away, even only their lips parted – Jack instead decided to hide his face in the other boy’s neck, since he practically straddled him anyways. “I take it you like the song” Alex said, his lips brushing Jack’s neck when he buried his face in Jack’s hair. His grip tightened on Jack’s small hips, and the black-haired boy let himself be pulled onto Alex’ lap – for real now.

Jack smiled. His fingers found Alex’ hair to play with it once more. “I love it” he agreed. “You’re kind of perfect, you know.” His words were only a whisper, but he meant all of them. Alex was like his dream come true but more. There would never be someone in Jack’s life that would be like him – and he was pretty sure he would not want a life without Alex, not anymore, so it didn’t really matter.

“You’re kind of perfect, too.” Alex gently replied. His fingers slipped beneath Jack’s thin Led Zeppelin shirt and caressed the skin there. “And I’m not planning on sharing you.”

Jack pressed a line of kisses up Alex’ throat and then sat back enough so he could smile at him brightly. “Does that mean you’ll be my boyfriend?” he wondered.

“Yes, that means I’ll be your boyfriend” And Alex kissed him softly, his lips lingering over Jack’s. Jack didn’t let him go, pulled him closer, kissed him again and again until Alex was kissing him back just as fervently. From then on, their night contained shared kisses, lots of making out, lots of groping, but neither sex nor the planned The Walking Dead marathon.

Jack didn’t regret a thing.

 

The next morning, the two boys woke up with entangled limbs. Alex was plastered all over Jack’s back, spooning him, his grip tight on the thinner boy’s frame, and Jack could feel him breathing hotly into his neck. Jack entangled their fingers with a tired smile and cuddled closer into the warmth of his boyfriend’s body. They were both only wearing their boxer briefs – Alex was wearing some with batman print while Jack’s were black and cheeky with bright green neon print saying “U KNO U WANT THIS” over his ass.

And on that ass, he could feel Alex’ morning wood now that he was getting closer. And of course that was enough to get him started as well. He was just a seventeen-going-on-eighteen year old boy, of course he was horny as fuck. Especially when it was Alex behind him whose hot body he’d wanted since he’d first laid eyes on him. Things maybe hadn’t escalated last night except for some pretty pathetic grinding, but that didn’t mean one of them wasn’t ready. That meant they still had a whole Saturday and half of Sunday to each other before they would have to start sharing the house and keeping it down again.

Jack wriggled, turned around, and he could already hear Alex murmuring in that way when he was still mostly asleep but already waking up. A soft smile tugged on his lips and for a second, he just watched the beautiful boy in his arms, the way his hair was all ruffled and his lips were slightly parted, the way his long lashes fluttered just a little bit over his cheeks. Jack wanted to mesmerize every single detail about this moment, but also there was a situation in both their pants and he really couldn’t think of a better scenario to start the day than he giving head to that hottie here in bed with him.

Jack peppered kisses along Alex’ neck, lingering for a second over the love bites he’d left there the night before. Then he slid further down, trailing kisses along Alex’ chest, his thumbs ghosting over his nipples only once, tongue lapping the ceases between the barely there six pack, before just letting his lips ghost over the patch of happy trail that was leading into Alex’ boxers. Boxers that were tented by what must be the most impressive cock Jack would ever see last.

“Jack” Alex breathed, coming to his senses when the younger boy was pulling down his underwear slowly, meanwhile nibbling on the jut of his hipbones. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing there?”

“Shut up and enjoy the show” Jack gave right back, a cheeky grin on his face as he pulled the boxers down to the boy’s knees, on eyelevel with that pretty erection of his boyfriend that had his mouth watering. “It’s not every day that you wake up from your hot boyfriend giving head to you”

Alex laughed throatily, still weighed down with sleep. “Before you do that though, would you – whoa my god Jack”

There had been too much talking and Jack knew if he didn’t stop that, they would bicker all through their first time. And so he decided to just like that lick a stripe up the underside of Alex’ dick, wrapping his fingers around the base and then closing his lips around the tip and swirling his tongue around. Alex tasted salty and it was a foreign weight on Jack’s tongue because he might’ve given a couple of blowjobs before, but never sober and never to someone with an impressive package like that. But judging from the moan and string of curses spilling over Alex’ lips and the harsh grip he had on Jack’s hair, Jack was doing just fine when he started sucking, hollowing his cheeks, and bobbing his head up and down.

He massaged with his fingers what he couldn’t reach – even though he was pretty proud because he could go down far before his gag reflex started kicking in – and his free hand had taken a strong hold on Alex’ hips, probably bruising him, to prevent something awkward like Alex starting to fuck his face. He didn’t know if he was quite that ready for that.

What he was definitely ready for were the sounds Alex was making. There were soft gasps, harsh intakes of breath, moaning and cursing, both loud and barely audible. It was amazing what he could do with that voice, and it was even better to see what happened when Jack was the one causing these sounds.

“Shit Jack I’m close” Alex moaned after long minutes of Jack sucking on his dick; too soon for Jack’s liking because he hadn’t even really started, he wanted to test some other stuff. But he guessed that he could wait, they still had a lot of time to experiment. So he just went down on Alex even more eagerly, sucking even more, licking the slit and tasting the salty precome, moaning around Alex’ dick.

He swallowed down like a pro when the boy came in his mouth. He didn’t let anything spill. It was a bit weird, tasted a bit weird as well, but he could get used to that. He got up and crawled up Alex’ sweaty panting body, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Good morning sunshine” he murmured cheekily and pressed a kiss to Alex’ jaw.

“Oh god Jay that was –“ Alex trembled, but still managed to catch Jack’s lips in a heated kiss. Another breathy moan left his throat. “You’re awesome”

Jack laughed. “You just want me to suck you off every day now”

Alex kissed him again, because now that was a thing that they could really do, and Jack still wasn’t used to it. “Only if I can return the favor.” And before Jack even knew what was happening, Alex had flipped them around and pinned Jack to the mattress, pressing him into it and all the while pulling his briefs out of the way so he could wrap his long, calloused fingers around his shaft.

“Motherfucking shit Alex” Jack yelped – he was pretty sure he had made some very manly sound of surprise as well when his boyfriend had taken control over the situation so forcefully. He had never felt something as amazing and on-turning as Alex’ fingers wrapped around his dick. In addition to the way Alex stared at him with these big brown eyes and his pretty dimples showing, Jack knew this session would be over before it had really started. He bucked his hips, thrust up into Alex’ tight fist, burying his head in the crook of Alex’ neck.

“Come on baby, so perfect for me” Alex murmured into his ear, and his gentle voice was wrecked from all the moaning he’d done before. Jack was already embarrassingly close, and he didn’t care that he probably sounded like a needy little cockwhore when he moaned into Alex’ neck, his hips thrusting in an almost violent rhythm.

“I can’t wait for you to fuck me like that, Jacky”

And that was really what it took to let Jack tumble over the edge. He would do everything for Alex. He came with a muffled cry of Alex’ name and probably left scratch marks on Alex’ back where he was clutching onto the other. His whole body seemed to be shaken when he came in the best orgasm he’d ever experienced. It felt almost like blacking out and he was pretty sure he saw stars and zoned out for a while, because the next thing he knows is that Alex is wiping over their chests with an old t-shirt that had been flying around on his floor before.

Jack blinked up at Alex with an amazed expression. The older boy was kneeling beside him, gloriously naked, and Jack couldn’t help reaching out and trailing his fingers over that damn stomach of his boy, in a gesture that should’ve been sexual but really only was romantic. “That was –“

“Yeah, it was” Alex grinned his stupid dimpled smile and then bent down to kiss Jack. After a while, he came back up and there was a glint in his eyes that told Jack that Alex was up to no good. “So, are we gonna take this to the shower now, or are you never gonna get up?”

Jack had honestly never recovered from an orgasm that well that quickly.

 

Surprisingly, nobody was surprised by what had developed between the two boys. When the Gaskarths came home to find their son making out with his supposedly best friend against their kitchen counter, Mrs. Gaskarth only smiled knowingly and Jack later noticed Mr. Gaskarth slipping her fifty bucks. At least they were fucking discreet about their bets.

Rian and Zack didn’t even try to hide it. When Jack pushed Alex up against his car Monday morning to kiss the fuck out of him in public, their two mates first cheered so the attention of the whole goddamn school was on them, and then Rian pulled a victory dance, pointing at Zack and shouting:

“HAH I FUCKING TOLD YOU SO! You owe me THIRTY FUCKING BUCKS!”

Alex was not amused at all. He looked at his boyfriend with a grave expression. “Our friends suck”

Jack only lifted an eyebrow. “You chose them, not me!”

“Oi man, right in the feels!” Zack exclaimed.

“Better than in the dick, fucker” Jack threw back over his shoulder before resuming to kiss Alex in front of everyone. He knew that half the school probably had a crush on the boy. But he was his now and his alone and Jack would never let him go again. He was as certain of that as he was of the fact that Blink was the most fucking awesome band on the whole planet.

That was mainly what Jack’s and Alex’ relationship was like: they were bickering and bantering, insulting each other and getting on each other’s nerves, but all the while they were inseparable, now more than ever. It wasn’t even that much of a change that they were in an official relationship now, the only difference between before and after was that now their arguments would usually end in kisses and that between the lessons, they would disappear for a quickie in some bathroom or supply closet.

Jack loved every moment of it.

He loved sitting in his window late at night and just talking to Alex as much as he loved rolling in the sheets with him, exploring his beautiful body. He liked that Alex never failed to understand him and never failed to make him laugh. He hadn’t been this happy before, and it was all due to Alex. It was the way he would open his window every morning so he could laugh when Jack stumbled out of bed and cursed like an old housewife. It was the way he would never be shy to touch him, whether it was holding hands or walking arm in arm, hugging or just resting a hand on Jack’s shoulder or leg. It was the way he would play for Jack and just for Jack, his thousand different songs. It was the way he would always close the night with his song ‘For Baltimore’ – their song. It was the way he didn’t care about the stares and snarky comments that were directed at them sometimes when they were out in downtown or hanging out in the park or sometimes even just waltzing down the halls of the school.

Alex was gorgeous, brave, smart, talented, hot – and most importantly, he was Jack’s.

One night after Alex had just left Jack’s mother approached her son. Jack was leaning against the front door with a soppy smile on his face when she leaned into the doorframe leading to the kitchen. “I like the sight of you two” she said with a smile.

Jack grinned right back. “Me, too”

“Are you happy, Jack?” She asked. And Jack knew she was concerned. The relationship Alex and he had was intense: they were spending all their time together, and they didn’t hide anything from one another. Jack knew that many people would get tired of each other sooner or later, especially when they were together as often as he and Alex were. But he didn’t doubt one second that they would make it. Jack was normally easy to annoy, and while Alex did that quite a lot, it was never in a way that Jack stopped craving his company.

“I am. I really am.” He said, and it was almost funny to find out that he meant it. He had known, but saying it out loud – to his mum of all people – only made it feel more real.

His mum smiled and when she opened her arms, he gladly stepped in to hug her and press a kiss to her cheek. “That’s everything that counts. Hold onto what makes you happy, boy.”

That made Jack laugh. “I’m not planning on letting him leave.”

 

The first time the famous eight letters were spoken was also the night of their first big fight. It was about three months and countless orgasms into their relationship, and looking back on it, Jack didn’t even know why there were even getting so riled up over something so stupid. It had been a hard day, midterms being the next week, and both boys had slept too little and too much to do. They were studying, had been doing so all afternoon and Jack had been getting bored and had started trying to persuade Alex to have some sex with him. And something just cracked and they shouted at each other too loud, over only ever wanting to have sex and never studying and being a lazy ass on Alex’ part and over being struck-up and a teacher’s toy and obsessed with good grades on Jack’s side. It ended with Alex storming out angrily, slamming the door and stomping down the stairs.

Jack regretted everything he said the moment Alex was out of the room. He felt so bad for saying all these things because they weren’t true, that wasn’t Alex. He didn’t know how he could be so cruel, how he could dare saying such things to the person he loved. Sure, they had fought before, they fought a lot, but it had never ended this badly. He broke down, couldn’t hold back the tears. What if he had destroyed something in their relationship? What if he had fucked up? He mostly just felt so bad.

He just collapsed right then and there on the floor of his room and cried. He felt so dirty, so bad. Alex’ words hurt, but it felt like he was the one who had done wrong – he’d been the one who’d started the fight after all. It only made it worse. He sobbed for what felt like days, but was really not even half an hour. But in the end Jack realized that there was no use in crying his eyes out – he had to apologize. He wiped his face, ran his fingers through his hair and shouted for his mum. She needed to help him, and he was sure she would.

Ten minutes later, he rang the Gaskarths’ doorbell with a bouquet of red roses from his mum’s garden and a sheepish expression on his face. Mrs. Gaskarth opened him with a stern expression. “I don’t know what got into you two, but you better make it right again, Jack. You know Alex is stubborn as hell, but you will do it.”

Jack only nodded, and then jumped up the stairs and knocked on Alex’ door. He was nervous as he hadn’t felt before, and he felt like he wouldn’t get a word out if he tried. But he was also sure as hell what he wanted and what he was doing here, and this determination made him stand tall, keep still.

“Fuck off” Alex sounded wrecked – but not in the good post-sex way.

“Alex, please let me in” Jack knocked again. His fingers were shaking. What should he do if Alex wouldn’t listen to him? He couldn’t stand the feeling of fighting with him.

“No Jack”

“Please, Lex. I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s come over me, but it was there and it made me snap and say things I didn’t mean. You’re not struck-up, Alex; you’re just smart enough to work hard for a good degree. I adore that part of you, just like I adore everything else about you. I shouldn’t have tried to distract you when I knew how important it was. I was an idiot and I know all the stress of the last weeks is no excuse, but I will still use it. I am sorry Alex. Please let me in.”

“Just go, Jack, I don’t wanna see you here.”

Jack wanted to cry, but he couldn’t give up. His dad always said you had to fight for what you love. And that was what he was going to do now: he was going to fight for Alex. “I am not fucking leaving now, Alex. You will open this goddamn door and talk to me, you hear me? As long as you won’t, I will wait here.”

“Fine, I don’t care.”

And so Jack waited. Almost one hour of staring at the door in front of him, waiting, being anxious. Every couple minutes, he would bang on the door again, beg for Alex to open the door and finally listen to his apologies. He repeated them again and again. He was sorry about what he had said. He didn’t mean it. Alex was perfect in the way he was and he loved how hard Alex was working for school, how smart he really was. He found new and new apologies, piling them, throwing them at Alex through the door again and again.

Then finally, the door opened just a crack to reveal the face of the boy Jack loved. Alex still looked angry, his arms were crossed in front of his chest and his eyes were almost harsh, but they were also red and puffy and he looked like he’d been crying ever since he’d left Jack’s house. He didn’t say a word, only stared at Jack. It was a first step.

Jack offered him the flowers. “I’m sorry, Alex, I can’t repeat that enough. I wanna make it up to you. I love you, please don’t be mad at me anymore.” He begged. Only a second later, he realized what he’d just said, and his whole face went pale as the blond streak in his hair. He wasn’t insecure about his feelings, he’d known it from the beginning – but they weren’t together all that long and what if it was moving too quickly for Alex to say these words?

Alex stared for another second, and then, before Jack even really realized what happened, the other boy moved and threw himself at Jack, tackling him in a tight hug, pressing his wet face into Jack’s neck. “I’m sorry too, I’m such a stupid stubborn bastard. I didn’t mean what I said either. You don’t deserve what I told you, nobody should ever say stuff like that to you, especially not me. I love you so much, Jack, you’re so perfect”

And then they kissed and Jack couldn’t help but smile into it. It was feverish and passionate, but also gentle in a whole new way. Alex loved him. He had never doubted it, but you could never be certain until these words were spoken. Alex was a wreck and Jack was, too, and so they just stumbled onto the bed and cuddled into each other, bathing and finding peace in each other’s scents. Jack was only glad that Mrs. Gaskarth had earlier offered him a vase for the roses because they were just like that placed on Alex’ desk and forgotten when they made up in the way they knew best: kisses, touches, and passionate sex.

 

*

 

Jack couldn’t believe how quickly the school year had passed. A year ago, he hadn’t known Alex and he hadn’t even known that something was missing. And Jack could remember being happy, but he couldn’t believe that. How could he have been happy without Alex? Alex was his life, he was his everything. But a year ago, he had been angry that they had to leave their old flat. He didn’t want to move away from Vic, Mike, Tony, Jaime and all his other friends. He hadn’t wanted to.

And now, now they were here. He was here with his best friends on prom night, wearing pretty tuxedos and having the time of their lives. The gym of their school was decorated nicely, but Jack couldn’t take his eyes off his boyfriend if he tried. Alex was just looking so good tonight. His hairs were a pretty mess and his black suit was only showing off his lean body. He was still the most beautiful creature that Jack had ever seen, and by now he was sure that it would never change.

Sure, there was a long way to go. People doubted they would do it. They were just teenagers in love, they said, and in a couple of months or maybe years they would break up, it would end. JackandAlex would become Jack and Alex again. But Jack was positive that they would never end up like that. Because everyone forgot Alex was not only his boyfriend, but also his best friend. He was everything for Jack and he was what Jack had never known he would need.

He had never been someone who had feared the future, but he used to be just a bit afraid of it. But now, with Alex on his side, he was a hundred percent sure that it would be awesome. He had nothing to lose and everything to win. But on the other hand, maybe it was exactly the other way around and that was what made him fight for his future. Maybe he already had everything and didn’t want to lose it. Yeah, Jack realized when Alex got up and smiled his signature dimpled grin at him, offering him his hand for a dance, this was the way it was.

Alex was the jackpot and Jack would die to make him stay.

**Author's Note:**

> Songs used:  
> Paint You Wings (All Time Low)  
> All The Small Things (Blink-182)  
> A Love Like War (All Time Low feat. Vic Fuentes)  
> Wake Me Up When September Ends (Green Day)  
> I Miss You (Blink-182)  
> For Baltimore (All Time Low)
> 
> Just admit it, the song is a fucking love declaration from Alex to Jack, goddamn. I wanted to write a song fic about that, but then it escalated. Whoops. Please leave some feedback!


End file.
